SARAH WILLIAMS INTERSTATE PHANTOMS November 2020
118 Southwest Blvd
Kansas City, MO 64108
816.527.0823
BlueGalleryOnline.com
Sarah Williams in her studio
Sarah Williams Interstate Phantoms Artist Conversation and Opening Reception Thursday, November 5, 2020 Exhibition runs through November 29, 2020
Statement It is my belief that art should originate through a painter’s personal experiences in her home environment. I see my whole life as preparation for the way I paint and the work I am currently making. Even though my connection to the small town farm culture that shaped me as I grew up played a major role in how I approach these works, I believe they can speak to people from a variety of places and experiences. For this body of work, I was recalling the many car trips spent going from one area of the state to another, often at night. Living in such a rural setting, it’s not uncommon to find communities quite spaced out. Often with about 30 miles of uninhabited farmland between each. At night, that distance can be almost meditative to travel through. Usually, the first thing one might encounter when nearing a community is a lighted sign at the outskirts. In the uninterrupted blackness of the rural night, those signs become some strange kind of beacon. Their uniqueness and history also make them wonderful landmarks unlike the ubiquitous golden arches or big box store signs that seem to blur together from place to place with their commonality. Aesthetically I am interested in light sources and the play of light on surfaces. This led me to paint nightscapes of familiar yet isolated and unremarkable structures and scenes located in rural areas close to my home. I use darkness to edit out extraneous information and provide the viewer with the essence of the place. This approach applied to slightly familiar yet hauntingly isolated areas permits me to transform the common place and make the insignificant significant. More and more I am realizing how this work unknowingly started as a way to deal with my homesickness when I moved away from my childhood home in North Missouri to pursue my MFA degree in a southern urban setting. Even though I eventually took a job back in my home region, I am understanding that I’ll never be home again in many ways. But it’s this distance that allows me to really see and be aware of my hometown in a way I wouldn’t be able to otherwise. My pride and passion for the rural Midwest is still strong but it’s interesting to see it come through in my paintings now more from something like a visitor’s perspective. While my current paintings are beginning to act as this strange kind of souvenir of the places I left and the structures and things I know most intimately, I also love seeing how people from other regions and backgrounds relate to my work. I’m finding the more specific I can be, the more universal the work somehow becomes. I hope my work allows people to think about where they come from and take pride in the collective identity of their home region. Sarah Williams
About Blue Gallery In business for 20 years, Blue Gallery is a popular and respected fixture of Kansas City’s vibrant art scene. Its underlying philosophy reminds visitors of the owners Kelly and David Kuhn’s genuine commitment to the arts: they treat art and beauty as fundamental elements of life, and instill this mood into their gallery. But what has set Blue Gallery apart is the way Kelly and David conduct their business behind the art. “We work with our artists with the same tenants as our collectors: integrity, passion, and obsession with quality in every decision we make,” says Kelly. “Our philosophy is the result of over 28 years working with professional artists and collectors. We are deeply committed to providing an inspired and profound experience that is inclusive and transformative.” Established in 2000 at the center of Kansas City’s Crossroads Arts District, Blue Gallery represents 40+ emerging to established local, regional and nationally known artists, with works placed in private and public collections worldwide. Blue Gallery holds several exhibitions a year, as well as participates in First Fridays, held exclusively in the Crossroads Arts District monthly. Blue Gallery is considered one of the premier galleries in Kansas City having won numerous awards including KC Magazine Best Private Art Gallery in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007, and Ingram’s Magazine Bronze for Best Museum or Art Gallery in 2004, 2005, 2007, and 2017. 435 Magazine Best Local Art Gallery in 2015 and 2017, and Visit KC Visitors’ Choice Winner - Favorite Art Gallery in 2019, and well over 20 nominations for best art gallery.
Hudson oil on panel 30” x 18” $4300
Business 44 oil on panel 25� x 19� fr. $3600
Highway 65 oil on panel 25” x 19” fr. $3600
US Route 66 oil on panel 25” x 19” fr. $3600
Business 83 oil on panel 17� x 21� fr. $3000
Highway 1 oil on panel 21” x 17” fr. $3000
A1A oil on panel 17” x 13” fr. $2700
Business 13 oil on panel 17� x 13� fr. $2700
Route 49 oil on panel 17” x 13” fr. $2700
Route 44 oil on panel 12” x 15” fr. $2500
Highway 36 oil on panel 10” x 13” fr. $2200
Highway 95 oil on panel 13” x 10” fr. $2200
Education
Sarah Williams Curriculum Vitae
University of North Texas MFA in Painting and Drawing William Woods University BFA in Studio Art
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2020 Interstate Phantoms Twilight Towns Off-ramp Communities Rural Routes 2019 Sarah Williams 2018 Home-Place Every Nowhere Night Lands Speed Trap Towns 2017 Blanketed Unseen America Sarah Williams 2016 Heartland Area Codes 2015 Flyover Territory City Limits 2014 Peripheral 36 Glow Midwest Noir 2013 Blacktop Country 30 Miles Between Remote America 2012 Homeward County Line Nightfall
Selected Group Exhibitions
2006-2009 Denton, TX 2002-2006 Summa Cum Laude
Fulton, MO
Blue Gallery, Kansas City, MO Andrea Schwartz Gallery, San Francisco, CA Moody Gallery, Dallas, TX Talley Dunn Gallery, Dallas, TX George Billis Gallery, New York, NY Scarlow’s Gallery, Casper, WY Andrea Schwartz Gallery, San Francisco, CA University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, MO George Billis Gallery, Los Angeles, CA Blue Gallery, Kansas City, MO Moody Gallery, Houston, TX George Billis Gallery, New York, NY Round Gallery; Jacksonville State University, Jacksonville, AL Talley Dunn Gallery, Dallas, TX George Billis Gallery, Los Angeles, CA McMurtrey Gallery, Houston, TX Sinclair Gallery, Northwest College, Powell, WY Mildred Cox Gallery, William Woods University,Fulton, MO Nicolaysen Art Museum, Casper, WY George Billis Gallery, Los Angeles, CA McMurtrey Gallery, Houston, TX Art Museum of Southeast Texas, Beaumont, TX Blue Gallery, Kansas City, MO McMurtrey Gallery; Micro Space, Houston, TX Marty Walker Gallery, Dallas, TX
2019 Passing Through Getting Real Out of Town 2018 Wonder Wall Target Texas: What Inspires 2017 Cityscape Show VII As Is: Rural Realism Art Palm Spring Fair 2016 Wonder Wall Texas Contemporary Art Fair 40th Anniversary Exhibition Palm Springs Art Fair Dallas Art Fair New American Paintings 2015 Destination Unknown The Real Show Dallas Art Fair MSU Biennial Faculty Show 2014 Wonder Wall The Cityscape Show IV Homeward Bound: An American Pictorial Night Music Seven 2013 Object, Object!: A Selection Amy Blakemore and Sarah Williams
Tyler Museum of Art, Tyler, TX Strohl Art Center; Chautauqua Institution, Chautauqua, NY Andrea Schwartz Gallery, San Francisco, CA Blue Gallery, Kansas City, MO Art Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi, TX George Billis Gallery, Los Angeles, CA The Grace Museum; Abilene, TX George Billis Gallery; Palm Springs, CA Blue Gallery, Kansas City, MO Moody Gallery/Texas Contemporary Art Fair, Dallas, TX Moody Gallery, Houston, TX George Billis Gallery/Palm Springs Art Fair, Palm Springs, CA Talley Dunn Gallery/Dallas Art Fair, Dallas, TX Elmhurst Art Museum, Elmhurst, IL Talley Dunn Gallery, Dallas, TX The Old Jail Art Center, Albany, TX Talley Dunn Gallery/Dallas Art Fair, Dallas, TX Brick City Gallery; Missouri State University, Springfield, MO Blue Gallery, Kansas City, MO George Billis Gallery, Los Angeles, CA Fowler-Kellogg Art Center, Chautauqua Institution, Chautauqua, NY Trudy Labell Fine Art, Naples, FL McMurtrey Gallery, Houston, TX Helmuth Projects, San Diego, CA; Curators: John Oliver Lewis and Jessica McCambly The Gallery at UTA; The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX
Awards 2020 2019 2016 2015 2013
The Studios of Key West Artist Residency, Key West, FL Missouri State University Research Sabbatical; Springfield, MO Millay Colony for the Arts Residency; Austerlitz, NY Willapa Bay Artist in Residence; Oysterville, WA Summer Faculty Fellowship; Missouri State University; Springfield, MO Department of Art and Design Travel Grant; Missouri State University; Springfield, MO College of Arts and Letters New Faculty Summer Research Fellowship Missouri State University ; Springfield, MO Ucross Foundation Artist Residency Program Participant; Clearmont, WY
Activities
2018 Artist Panel Discussion Art Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi, TX Artist Lecture University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, MO 2017 Artist Lecture Moody Gallery, Houston, TX Artist Lecture The Grace Museum, Abilene, TX 2016 Artist Lecture Jacksonville State University, Jacksonville, AL Visiting Artist Jacksonville State University, Jacksonville, AL 2014 Visiting Artist Northwest College, Powell, WY Gallery Talk Northwest College, Powell, WY Gallery Talk William Woods University, Fulton, MO Gallery Talk Nicolaysen Art Museum, Casper, WY 2013 Gallery Talk University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 2013 Gallery Talk McMurtrey Gallery, Houston, TX 2010 Panelist member for the Here. There & Beyond Exhibition; Dallas Contemporary Gallery, Dallas, TX Gallery Talk Houston’s Looking At Art Group; McMurtrey Gallery, Houston, TX 2009-2010 Member of 500X Gallery Artist Co-op 500X Gallery, Dallas, TX Treasurer for 500X Gallery Artist Co-op 500X Gallery, Dallas, TX
Publications 2020 2019 2017 2016 2015 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007
Create! Magazine; p 162-165, Winter 2020 Issue 19 American Art Collector; p 112-113, June 2019 Issue164 American Art Collector; p 66-67, March 2017 Issue 137 The Southern Review; Spring 2016 Edition Parcel; Spring 2016 Edition New American Paintings; No 119, Midwest Issue New American Paintings; No. 96, Western Issue Houston Chronicle; p E8, Thursday February 11, 2010 Dallas Modern Luxury Magazine; p 56, December 2009 issue Houston Chronicle; p E2, Friday August 15, 2008 CAA News; volume 33, number 1, January 2008, Fishwrap; volume 4, number 2, summer 2007, Institute for Small Town Studies; Fairfield, IA
Work Experience 2018-current 2012-2018 2009-2012 2010-2012 2012-2012 2009 2007-2009
Associate Professor Assistant Professor Adjunct Faculty Adjunct Faculty Adjunct Faculty Adjunct Faculty Teaching Assistant
Missouri State University, Springfield, MO Missouri State University, Springfield, MO University of North Texas, Denton, TX Brookhaven College, Dallas, TX Austin College, Sherman, TX Richland College, Dallas, TX University of North Texas, Denton, TX
118 Southwest Blvd
Kansas City, MO 64108
816.527.0823
BlueGalleryOnline.com